Asked by: Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to commemorate the bicentenary of the opening of George Stephenson's railway between Hetton Colliery and the River Wear in 2022.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The Government currently has no plans to commemorate the bicentenary of the Hetton Colliery Railway.
Stephenson played a key role in Britain’s position as a pioneer of railway development. If an organisation were to bring forward proposals for such a commemoration, our heritage bodies would be happy to discuss these and to provide expertise as needed. Historic England is supporting the nearby Stockton and Darlington Railway, of which the Hetton Colliery Railway was the forerunner, as part of its Heritage Action Zone programme from 2018-2023. This is likely to increase interest in this area.
Asked by: Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to preventing the demolition of the Doxford Gate, Pallion Quay, at Sunderland and preserving it as a monument to Sunderland's ship building heritage.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Sunderland has a history as an internationally significant centre for shipbuilding. However, such was the pace of change in the shipbuilding industry that few structures survived. Doxford Gate sits in the path of a new inner ring road which will link the city centre to a new bridge across the River Wear. The site has been considered for statutory protection by listing, but it does not meet the national criteria. It is unfortunate that it appears that the Doxford Gate cannot be preserved, but I am pleased to report that I understand it is intended to re-erect the historic iron gates from the entrance nearby as a memorial to the shipyard.
Asked by: Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether an audit has been undertaken of library provision in each local authority to assess whether any local authority is now failing to meet statutory requirements in relation to public access; and if so, which authorities are not currently meeting those statutory requirements.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
Local authorities in England have a statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service that meets local needs. The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport also has a duty to superintend, and promote the improvement of, the public library service provided by local authorities in England, and to secure the proper discharge by local authorities of their library authority functions.
DCMS takes the statutory duty seriously and monitors proposed changes to library service provision throughout England. Where DCMS receives a complaint that a local authority may be failing to meet its duty, we will carefully consider the evidence before deciding if a local inquiry is needed. The Department is currently handling eight complaints to determine whether the changes to library service provision mean that these are no longer providing comprehensive and efficient library services.